Abbie Daven

🚨 SERVICE DESIGNERS 🚨 Before the 2nd of September, complete this survey! Your responses will help ensure that Strategic Design, Service Design, and related disciplines are properly recognised in the updated ANZSCO classification #servicedesign #design #strategicdesign #strategy #systemsdesign

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Design as a strategic capability What does it mean to use Design as a strategic capability? This is a question I've been chipping away at for the better part of nine months in my role at the Australian Design Council. On the one hand, there's an implied question here about what we mean by a Design capability, with hints of what 'good' looks like thrown into the mix. And on the other, what would make that capability a strategic one within the organisation. Typically, we think of a strategic capability as one that helps an organisation deliver on its ambitions. That applies equally to private enterprises, government entities, and not-for-profit organisations. It's a capability that helps do something that would otherwise not be possible, and would leave the organisation short of achieving its goals. For Design to sit in that category, it typically means some combination of the following is occurring: - design methods and processes are utilised at a high level of quality - the outputs of those methods and processes are themselves of a high quality - the areas within the organisation's overall decision-making apparatus in which design can be found are sweeping. Obviously, the phrase 'high quality' is doing a lot of heavy lifting in this description, and it's something we've spent a lot of time grappling with. Where we've landed (currently) is somewhere that feels like a description of contemporary design practice that brings with it the traditional elements of craft, aesthetic, and function; and embeds them within ideas of circularity, de-colonisation, and co-design. In practice that means Design within the organisation is an integrated part of decision-making from the executive to the shop floor, retail store and contact centre. There is a free flowing cycle of information from product/service design through distribution/sales, to customers/users, driving insight and innovation. And there's an awareness of, and explicit designing for a circular economy and long-term preservation of material value in the system. It means the things being put out into the world have been shaped by the people who will use them, particularly in the services realm, but also more broadly in the built environment and physical objects. And it means a focus on value creation rather than rent-seeking or value extraction. Of the 2.6m-odd businesses in Australia, we know that Design is an under-utilised capability. It's clear from the drop-off in the innovation pipeline that occurs as R&D efforts run into actual customers; and in the many businesses stalled in the almost-medium-sized enterprise space. There is so much additional value that can be created through this application of Design. We just need to keep pushing for it. #strategicdesign #designcapability #design

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Australia is deciding on banning social media for minors, potentially up until the age of 16. As a UX designer, I think this is great, and here's why ↓↓ 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁: "𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘪𝘬𝘛𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦'𝘴 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩." Instead of approaching multiple platforms and asking for changes (which we'll unlikely see), the Australian government has suggested age verification processes, which many other countries have also discussed in recent years. Those who oppose the idea have argued about personal freedoms. Still, they forget that social media platforms profit from all ages and do the bare minimum to create better safety for young audiences. User experience has been ranked second to profits, and big platforms would rather keep users glued to the screen than deliver ethically sound experiences. As UX designers and developers, we should not allow young audiences on these platforms if we can't deliver safe and exceptional experiences for them. Original Articles: https://lnkd.in/d8BeRjF9 https://lnkd.in/dMEWCGxY

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Check out Allison Ravenhall's insightful talk from A11y Camp on Customer Informed Accessibility in the CommBank app. This session highlights how usability testing with low vision users revealed an issue in our App 5.0 redesign. Some of you might remember Jacob Torres Agudo and Liam Corry's presentation at The Research Society Human Insights conference, where they discussed the research journey behind the new CommBank app home screen (I might of mentioned it a couple of times, did you hear they won an award?). Allison's talk goes deeper into how our testing with low vision users uncovered an unexpected design flaw. Usability testing often gets a bad rap for being boring and low value, but for me, it's some of the most crucial work we do. A lot of the time designs pass with flying colours, but it's those moments when we uncover a usability issue that are truly invaluable. This is especially true when we're addressing the needs of users with accessibility requirements. Enjoy this super informative talk and learn more about the importance of usability testing in creating accessible designs: https://lnkd.in/gKrQTexE #commbanklife #accessibility #a11y #research #humaninsightsconference

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Another great Macquarie Design Blog post by Leah Ochroch went live this morning. Insightful, practical tips to ensure your design is accessible for all. #design #experiencedesign #uxdesign #accessibility

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Will I ever stop talking about the business value of design? NEVER. Designers are under selling themselves if they don't know how to connect the dots. It only took me first half of my career working directly with founders to build business through different stages, plus 7 years to build my own side hustle from nearly drain out my life savings to turning over multi six figures to figured out:👇 Designers absolutely need to know more than design to succeed in the business eco system. so where do you even start? All will be revealed in this session. Warning: this talk will be filled with relationship analogies. come for a laugh 😂 ✌️🌈🚀 #businessdesign #designcareer #productdesign #uxdesign

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Next week. I'm talking about disconnection of business and design Atlassian Sydney. Looking forward to share few nuggets about getting these two to talk to each other. Thank you for the crew behind the scene Kevin Wilkins, Lydia Bradshaw, Sylvia Luk, Ashlee King, Sarah Stokes, Tim Dixon, PhD, Timothy Parker for organising. Reminder for everyone, I also run a half day in bootcamp on 21st JUNE in Sydney on - Mastering Business Acumen for Designers. Link in comment. 💬🔗 #businessdesigner #productdesigner #productstrategy

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What are the best design, product and alround tech events these days? I've been out of the loop since covid but would like to get out and about more. AND if anyone is interested in hosting me talk about how designers should move into product, let me know!

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Half of the survey data you see on LinkedIn is probably wrong. That’s because saying something like “27% of young Aussie’s think chocolate milk is the best flavour”, is quantitative data that is basically impossible for anybody to prove wrong. In fact - it’s so easy to arrive at flawed data in surveys that in many cases it may as well be made up. I mean case in point. I have no idea if 27% or 50% of young Aussies really do like choco milk. But it’s mighty compelling hey? As Erika Hall says: “That is why surveys are so dangerous. They are so easy to create and so easy to distribute, and the results are so easy to tally. And our poor human brains are such that information that is easier for us to process and comprehend feels more true.” So at Backpocket we’re trying something a little different. We’re releasing our latest qualitative research data, for free, in our latest insights report - GenZ money, mates and music. Yes less stats, but far more real words and thoughts from genuine young Aussies. Want to know what GenZ are thinking about ticket prices, payment plans and music festivals? Comment or DM me for a copy!

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Thanks Steve. It's a noble quest, for sure. An effective answer should be one that will unlock someone's understanding of design, and cause them to act differently as a result. I think you are close. To me, a definition using design as a strategic capability should include the things you've mentioned. I feel it should also include bringing the ambitions to life (eg a future state experience vision of sorts). As you know, strategy is also as much about what you say no to as what you say yes to, and being very clear about the path you take to get there. Those decisions could be made with any number of customer insights or lack thereof, and therefore I would include the fact that design can play a part in prioritising, defining horizons and also de-risking the big bets.

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Did you miss it? On #BraveUX last week, Doreen Lorenzo shared how to lead creative people well 🎈, what it takes to create innovative products 🚀, and why she’s redefining design education 🧑‍🏫. Highlights include: ⭐ Has design education become too expensive and elitist? ⭐ Why did you leave Catholic school for a local public school?  ⭐ How did you navigate the needs of frog’s shareholders and its staff? ⭐ Why did you occasionally draw out interviews when hiring people? ⭐ How do we ensure design remains a respected craft-based profession? Plus much more! - - - - - 📺 Watch the episode here - https://lnkd.in/gqATKaPz Subscribe and listen to Brave UX on... 🎧 Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/3rzixVc 🎧 Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3q47pPA 🎧 iHeart Radio - https://lnkd.in/gMFH8AaR 🎧 TuneIn + Alexa - https://bit.ly/3jAVkz7 🎧 Stitcher - https://bit.ly/3ezPSw0 - - - - - Who is Doreen Lorenzo? Doreen is the Assistant Dean of the School of Design and Creative Technologies, and the Founding Director of the Center for Integrated Design 🖥️, both at the University of Texas. Through these roles, she's helping to prepare the next generation of designers. Before joining UT, Doreen had a storied career as an executive leader in global design firms, most notably at Frog Design 🐸, which she joined in 1997 as President of Digital. By 2004 Doreen had become President of Frog Worldwide and during her tenure, the company evolved from a 50-person design boutique, to one of the world's leading global product strategy and design firms, with over 1,100 staff and a high-profile array of Fortune 500 clients 📈. Doreen writes a column for Fast Company’s Co.Design, where she profiles a diverse mix of world-class women. Additionally, she regularly speaks at industry conferences and private events, and has been featured in ABC News, Bloomberg, Fast Company, Fortune, The New York Times, and many other media outlets 🦉. - - - - - Don’t forget to check out the show notes on YouTube for quick-access to interview chapters, as well as where to find Doreen. #DesignLeadership #CreativeLeadership #UXDesign #ServiceDesign #UX #Innovation #WomenInDesign #PodcastInterview

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This is becoming a regular thing. For our Friday chat this week, the amazing Karen Monjo joined us to give us an insider's look at the job market. The biggest takeaway for me was, “Treat your interviewer like a customer, make the complex (your role) simply (what you did)” Your cases studies and portfolio should be as customer centric as all the work you put out into the world #JobMarket #Designers #Portfolios #CaseStudies #Skills #Experience #ProblemSolving #CareerGrowth #DesignThinking

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The Deakin University Library shared their UX methods & projects (Airtable base) for improving services for students, academics, alumni and community. The base contains user research, comprising interconnected tables: 1. User research methods and associated steps - UX method cards encompass experimental techniques being explored. 2. Projects aimed at users (represented by personas) employ methods and conduct sessions with participants. 3. Designs and elements resulting from co-design workshops. 4. Scenarios and results for usability evaluations. 5. Advocacy blog posts and social campaigns relating to one or more UX methods or projects are gauged for engagement. Awesome and helpful when people and companies share their practical experience of user research. 🔗 Link in comments... #ux #uxdesign #uxresearch #userresearch #productdesign #productresearch

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Design is not limited to a screen. Culture, services, even relationships (sad as it sounds) have much to gain from design thinking. I’m hosting a panel next Wednesday in Melbourne called “Design Beyond Boxes” where I’ll be interviewing three people who have taken their UX design skills into new domains. The problem is, I’ve had a late drop-out that I need to replace. If you know a Melbourne-based black-belt professional who has gone from UX into legal design, org design, spatial design, designing AI products or things you can touch, please introduce me. Bonus points for interesting journeys or diverse perspectives

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Over time our remit as designers has grown. As a result, the old frameworks aren't relevant and many different people and organisations are tackling this in different ways. The responsible innovation framework is a response to this. It builds on the traditional venn diagram for desirability, feasibility and viability to make explicit other areas we need to consider and bake them into how we work as part of standard good practice. The magic happens when we can include all six lenses so our work is not only desirable, feasible and viable but also sustainable, inclusive and just. It's always evolving and I'm excited to see where it goes. I introduce it here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e97KhHC5

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On #BraveUX this week, Greg Petroff discusses the practicalities of executive design leadership 👨‍🔧, why he believes in ‘make to think’ 🏗️, and the ins-and-outs of working with product and engineering 🔀. Highlights include: ⭐ How much advocacy for design is too much? ⭐ Why do you prefer project-based teams over product-based teams? ⭐ How do you align the engineering, product and design organisations? ⭐ How have your recent experiences in the labour market changed you? ⭐ What does effective compromise look like in enterprise software design? Plus much more! - - - - - 📺 Want to watch or listen 🎧 to the episode? 👉 Find the links in the comments, or search for Brave UX with Brendan Jarvis 🇺🇦 on YouTube or on your favourite podcast platform. - - - - - Who is Greg Petroff? A 25 year veteran of the design field, for the past 10 years Greg has led significant design organisations at some of the world’s largest and most recognisable companies 👀. Until recently, he was the vice president and chief design officer of Cisco Secure, where he led the design innovation and transformation of one of the world’s largest cybersecurity solutions providers 🔒. His highlight reel also includes being the chief experience officer at GE Digital, managing director of Google Cloud ☁️, vice president and global head of design at ServiceNow, and senior vice president of design at Compass. One of the early members of our emerging field, Greg is a founding board member of the Interaction Design Association 🔷, where he also contributed as the treasurer and as an early conference chair. A generous contributor to the field, Greg has shared his insights on stages across the world, including at TedX, the Interaction conference, UX Australia, Enterprise UX, and on the most-excellent Finding Our Way podcast 🎙️. - - - - - Don’t forget to check out the show notes on YouTube for quick-access to interview chapters, as well as where to find Greg. #DesignLeadership #UX #UXDesign #ProductDesign #CDO #CPO #ProductLeadership

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On #BraveUX this week, Jakob Nielsen addresses some of the criticism he’s faced 🎤, calls on UXers to urgently adopt AI 🐛, and shares why he believes the commoditisation of UX is a good thing 📈. Highlights include: ⭐ Are you surprised by how much you’ve offended some people? ⭐ Why do UXers need a greater sense of urgency about adopting AI? ⭐ Were the hiring practices at your previous company elitist? ⭐ What is the state of UX today and where is the growth potential? ⭐ Will AI impede our ability to develop our professional judgement? Plus much more! - - - - - 📺 Want to watch or listen 🎧 to the episode? 👉 Find the links in the comments, or search for Brave UX with Brendan Jarvis 🇺🇦 on YouTube or on your favourite podcast platform. - - - - - Who is Jakob Nielsen, PhD? Jakob is the founder of UX Tigers 🐯, the website and associated substack he uses to bring his 41 years of UX knowledge and experience to the world, in what he has described as a plainspoken, hard-hitting and not bowing to orthodoxy kind-of-way. Before founding UX Tigers, Jakob was the co-founder and principal - for 25 years - of a rather well known UX consultancy, the Nielsen Norman Group 📜. His other notable roles include being a distinguished engineer at Sun Microsystems, and a member of the research staff at Bell Communications Research 🔔 - one of the world’s top three HCI labs in the 1990s. Jakob is known for many other things, among which are being the founder of the discount usability movement, the foundational 10 usability heuristics for user interface design, and the eponymously named Jakob’s Law of Internet User Experience 🏛️. He is the holder of no less than 79 United States patents and the author of 8 books, including the best-selling “Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity”, “Usability Engineering”, and the pioneering “Hypertext and Hypermedia” 📚. In 2013, Jakob received the Lifetime Achievement Award for HCI Practice from ACM SIGCHI and in 2024 he was named a “Titan of Human Factors” by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 🏆. - - - - - Don’t forget to check out the show notes on YouTube for quick-access to interview chapters, as well as where to find Jakob. #UX #UXDesign #UXAI #UXR #UXResearch #UserResearch #DesignLeadership #UXTigers

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I think there may be some confusion about the difference or similarities between rapid research, rolling research, continuous research, iterative research and probably a bunch of other [insert prefix] research. In an attempt to unravel the confusion and learn about each of these, I have embarked on a new interview series. My first guest was Amanda Gelb and amongst other things, she told me all about setting up a Rapid Research program at Lyft. You can find the interview on our website and also on our YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/ew6Uqmix If you have a story to tell about setting up an innovative program of research, I would love to hear from you. #uxresearch #userresearch #ux247

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